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Scientists reprogram mature blood cells from mice into blood-forming HSCs

Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have reprogrammed mature blood cells from mice into blood-forming hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), using a cocktail of eight genetic switches called transcription factors. The reprogrammed cells, which the researchers have dubbed induced HSCs (iHSCs), have the functional hallmarks of HSCs, are able to self-renew like HSCs, and can give rise to all of the cellular components of the blood like HSCs.

30 Apr 2016

Level of salts in the brain play critical role in controlling sleep-wake cycle

Danish research is behind a new epoch-making discovery, which may prove decisive to future brain research. The level of salts in the brain plays a critical role in whether we are asleep or awake. This discovery may be of great importance to research on psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia and convulsive fits from lack of sleep as well as post-anaesthetization confusion, according to Professor Maiken Nedergaard.

30 Apr 2016

Mitochondrial dysfunction linked to chemotherapeutic resistance in African-American men with prostate cancer

Improper functioning of the mitochondria, a cell's source of energy, may help account for the fact that African-American men with prostate cancer respond poorly to the same conventional therapies provided to Caucasian-American men, according to research led by Dhyan Chandra, PhD, Associate Professor of Oncology in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

30 Apr 2016

Novel method may enable quick, easy exhaustive analysis of ORs responding to specific odorants

A research group led by Osaka University and Panasonic Corporation developed a method for making a prompt, exhaustive isolation of olfactory receptors (ORs) responding to the odorant of interest. This achievement will enable quick and easy exhaustive analysis of ORs responding to specific odorants, which previously required a great deal of time and effort. These results may be applied to biosensors capable of highly detecting only desired odorants.

30 Apr 2016

New article reviews ability of different stem cells to help restore function after spinal cord injuries

Stem cell therapy is a rapidly evolving and promising treatment for spinal-cord injuries. According to a new literature review, published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, different types of stem cells vary in their ability to help restore function, and an ideal treatment protocol remains unclear pending further clinical research.

30 Apr 2016

New technique can help analyze differences in mandible size and shape linked to gender

The scientific breakthrough, carried out by researchers at UGR and the Spanish National Research Council, is of great significance to the field of biological anthropology. It also has further implications for paleoanthropology, paleodemographics, forensic science and orthodontics, among other disciplines.

30 Apr 2016

Drinking tea flavored with herbs may improve mood and memory

The herbs peppermint, chamomile, rosemary and lavender have been proven to have an impact on mood and memory, with significant benefits displayed for older people, according to new research from Northumbria University.

30 Apr 2016

Elusive brain receptor may play vital role in death of neurons from neurological diseases

Strokes, seizures, traumatic brain injury and schizophrenia: these conditions can cause persistent, widespread acidity around neurons in the brain. But exactly how that acidity affects brain function isn't well understood.

30 Apr 2016

Exposure to fine particulate matter in air can increase risk of cancer-specific mortality

In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) published a series of monographs on the evaluation of various carcinogenic risks. In a monograph on air pollution, the organization pointed out the difficulty of assessing the effects of pollution on multiple types of cancers, given their different etiologies, risk factors and variability in the composition of air pollutants in space and time. However, the IARC identified certain key components of air pollution, including particulates.

30 Apr 2016

Study sheds light on several aspects of Ebola virus flare-ups in Liberia

Ebola virus samples taken from patients in Liberia in June 2015 are strikingly similar in their genetic makeup to other Ebola virus sequences from Western Africa, according to research published online today in the journal Science Advances. The study sheds light on several aspects of the "flare-ups" that have occurred in Liberia since the country was initially declared free of Ebola virus disease.

30 Apr 2016

Female hormones may be responsible for decreased risk of kidney failure in women than men

Female hormones may play a role in women's decreased risk of developing kidney failure relative to men, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. The findings may be helpful for future attempts at safeguarding women's and men's kidney health in sex-specific ways.

29 Apr 2016

Scientists measure electrical activity of individual brain cells responsible for body recognition

Specific regions of the brain are specialized in recognizing bodies of animals and human beings. By measuring the electrical activity per cell, scientists from KU Leuven, Belgium, and the University of Glasgow have shown that the individual brain cells in these areas do different things. Their response to specific contours or body shapes is very selective.

29 Apr 2016

New therapeutic target to treat bacterial infections may substitute antibiotics

Infections continue to threaten human health. With remarkable genetic flexibility, pathogenic organisms outsmart available therapies. Fortunately, microbial versatility is matched by the host immune system, which evolves in dialogue with the microbes. Therapies that enhance the beneficial effects of the immune response represent a promising, but under-explored, therapeutic alternative to antibiotics.

29 Apr 2016

Researchers explore changes in Parkinson's-affected cells at different stages of the disease

It's an unsettling thought: You could be walking around for 20 years developing Parkinson's disease and not even know it.

29 Apr 2016

UW-Madison researchers develop quick, saliva-based test for measuring fertility hormone levels

Doubts about their ability to become pregnant affect as many as 25 percent of American women, and solving that problem is the basic business plan for BluDiagnostics. Although the startup company was born in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Biochemistry Department, co-founder Katie Brenner says the idea came directly from her own difficulty with conception.

29 Apr 2016

Predictive statistical approach opens door to development of more effective therapies for breast cancer

Designing effective new drugs, especially drugs to fight cancer, demands that you know as much as you can about the molecular workings of cancer growth. Without that, it's like planning to fight a war against an enemy you've never seen.

29 Apr 2016

TJP1 protein could help determine multiple myeloma patients who may best benefit from proteasome inhibitors

A gene known as TJP1 (tight junction protein 1) could help determine which multiple myeloma patients would best benefit from proteasome inhibitors such as bortezomib, as well as combination approaches to enhance proteasome inhibitor sensitivity, according to a study led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

29 Apr 2016

Curve along edge of tumor may play major role in cancer cell metastasis

Only a few cells in a cancerous tumor are able to break away and spread to other parts of the body, but the curve along the edge of the tumor may play a large role in activating these tumor-seeding cells, according to a new University of Illinois study.

29 Apr 2016

Study helps discover new treatments for type 2 diabetes in men with low testosterone

Doctors have long known that men with low testosterone are at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes. For the first time, researchers have identified how testosterone helps men regulate blood sugar by triggering key signaling mechanisms in islets, clusters of cells within the pancreas that produce insulin. The findings, co-authored by Tulane University researchers, are published in the journal

29 Apr 2016

New research reveals sliding ability of cancer cells that helps in tumor spread

Metastasis. The very word evokes fear. Defined as the spread of cancer cells from one part of the body to another, metastasis is the cause of approximately 90 percent of deaths among cancer patients. How does metastasis come about? And can we stop it? New research from a team led by Northeastern's Anand Asthagiri, associate professor of bioengineering and chemical engineering, helps to answer those questions. It provides an astonishing look at the biophysical properties that permit breast cancer cells to "slide" by obstales and travel out of their primary tumor toward a blood vessel that will carry them to a new site.

29 Apr 2016

Medical Science News

Scientists reprogram mature blood cells from mice into blood-forming HSCs

Level of salts in the brain play critical role in controlling sleep-wake cycle

Mitochondrial dysfunction linked to chemotherapeutic resistance in African-American men with prostate cancer

Novel method may enable quick, easy exhaustive analysis of ORs responding to specific odorants

New article reviews ability of different stem cells to help restore function after spinal cord injuries

New technique can help analyze differences in mandible size and shape linked to gender

Drinking tea flavored with herbs may improve mood and memory

Elusive brain receptor may play vital role in death of neurons from neurological diseases

Exposure to fine particulate matter in air can increase risk of cancer-specific mortality

Study sheds light on several aspects of Ebola virus flare-ups in Liberia

Female hormones may be responsible for decreased risk of kidney failure in women than men

Scientists measure electrical activity of individual brain cells responsible for body recognition

New therapeutic target to treat bacterial infections may substitute antibiotics

Researchers explore changes in Parkinson's-affected cells at different stages of the disease

UW-Madison researchers develop quick, saliva-based test for measuring fertility hormone levels

Predictive statistical approach opens door to development of more effective therapies for breast cancer

TJP1 protein could help determine multiple myeloma patients who may best benefit from proteasome inhibitors

Curve along edge of tumor may play major role in cancer cell metastasis

Study helps discover new treatments for type 2 diabetes in men with low testosterone

New research reveals sliding ability of cancer cells that helps in tumor spread

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

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